.
Just because you have spent years honing technical skills does not mean that you will make it as a business owner. This is one of the harsh realities of entrepreneurship and it isn't often discussed. Business skills are an entirely separate suite of skills that one must develop if they want to get a successful business up and running.
Take the case of a painter who has worked for a painting company for 15 years and is now ready to branch out and start their own business. Unquestionably, they are skilled in their trade. If somebody calls them over to do a painting job, they will very likely nail it. However, what if our painter leaves their job to hang up their own and nobody calls?
Of all the skills that a new business owner must have, the ability to sell their services is the most urgent. You can hire out a lot of the administrative work that will become necessary, but only if you have money coming in through the door.
Once you start building a team, you will need to develop leadership, hiring, and management skills which are also new skills that a technician won't necessarily have. But that is in the future. The most urgent matter is knowing how to manifest revenue. Along those lines, here are a few things to consider as a technician who now has to sell.
Brand yourselves
You need to make sales and business development a priority, especially in the beginning. As time goes on and you do work and develop a reputation, you will get referrals and work from repeat customers. But it will never come to that unless you get your first customers. To prioritize selling doesn't mean just carrying around the thought that doing sales work is important. It means putting time on your calendar and executing.
Activity, not result!
Understand that sales work is activity focused, not result focused. This can be a huge mental barrier for technicians. If you are a plumber, you are used to showing up at a house, assessing the problem, working on the problem, and leaving only when the problem is complete. Yo' do work and you get a result. This is very satisfying.
What stops Closing Deals?
Sales mistakes impede making quota even for seasoned professional sales reps. Sales talent alone isn't enough if you pitch your products and services but can't close the deal. Reduce the frustration of lost sales by recognizing common sales mistakes. You can learn from sales missteps and create success from them.
Misalignment between the marketing and sales teams is costly to sales. Not conveying brand awareness and superior solutions to prospects. Lagging on implementing digital transformation for managing the complex sales process slows progress. Identifying and avoiding fundamental sales errors helps you speed up your sales process. This helps you survive the competitive marketplace for better sales performance. Top sales teams plan their approach and put in place the best sales strategies. But, can they identify the mistakes they're making during the selling process?
Teams Aren't Aligned
When sales and marketing strategies align, a powerful shift takes place. Marketing and sales teams work together to build a demand generation campaign. This increases custome engagement and brand awareness. The value and insight of the marketing team provides a pipeline of quality leads.
A good rule of thumb is to spend one hour per day selling. Block out the time on your calendar. Eliminate distractions. Focus. Do the work. One hour is good because you can do a lot in an hour, but it also doesn't feel like you are wasting your whole day. This idea of wasting time brings us to our next point.
Thanks for reading!